A24 just dropped the trailer for Tony, and I have absolutely no idea what this movie is about. Which is exactly the point.
The trailer is all mood, zero plot. Atmospheric shots. Unsettling music. A title card. That's it. And somehow, it works. A24 has convinced an entire generation of film nerds that not knowing what you're about to watch is actually better than traditional marketing.
This is the studio's superpower: make the mystery part of the appeal. Don't explain. Don't pander. Trust that your audience wants to discover the film rather than have it pre-digested through seven months of marketing rollout.
Compare this to how studios typically sell films. Trailers that show every plot beat. TV spots that spoil the third act. Interviews where actors explain themes the movie should convey itself. A24 does the opposite: here's a vibe, go see if you like it.
It doesn't always work. A24 releases plenty of films that underperform because audiences genuinely don't know what they're buying tickets for. But when it works - Everything Everywhere All at Once, Uncut Gems, The Witch - it creates genuine word-of-mouth buzz that traditional marketing can't manufacture.
The trailer for Tony follows the A24 playbook perfectly: intrigue over information. Will the film live up to it? Who knows. But I'm buying a ticket anyway, and so are you.
In Hollywood, nobody knows anything - except A24's marketing team, apparently.
